• 🌳 TreeHouse Foods' ‘Mixed’ Q3 Results
• 👔 Mars Appoints North America Food Prez
• 🧈 Costco Recalls 80,000 lbs of Butter
• 🍄 Sabatino Opens First U.S. Retail Store

Force Brands has released its 2025 Consumer Brands Salary & Market Trends report, offering an inside look at average compensations for coveted food and beverage roles. Here are the highlights:

Salaries and bonuses are up. Sixty-two percent of survey participants reported a salary increase in the past year, with 78% of increases due to annual raises and 22% of increases due to a job move. 

Pay bumps equal loyalty. Sixty percent of employees who didn’t receive a raise agreed with the statement “I am likely to switch employers in the next year.” Meanwhile, a whopping 88% of employees who received a raise of 11% or more agreed with the statement “I am loyal to my employer.”

It’s sweeter in the C-suite. Executives received twice as many raises above 5% as lower-level employees. 

And now, the salaries. (Note: The numbers listed in the report are based on companies generating $21 million to $50 million in annual revenue.)

• A CEO with more than 15 years of experience earns $324,500 to $425,000 a year, while similarly tenured CFOs and COOs are paid $297,500 to $390,000 and $265,000 to $375,000, respectively. 
• On the other end of the spectrum, an ecommerce operations manager with five to seven years of experience makes a base salary of $147,500 to $176,500.
• A director of plant operations with seven to 10 years of experience can expect to earn $162,500 to $206,000.
• An associate brand manager with five to seven years of experience is paid $99,500 to $140,500.

The Bottom Line: “Heading into 2025, companies are prioritizing strategic leadership in sales and commercial roles as they position themselves for growth. While salaries have stabilized, competition for top talent remains fierce. Successful brands will be those that offer not just attractive compensation, but also flexibility and a clear mission to navigate a volatile market.” – Anna Johnson, senior partner, Retained Search at ForceBrands

Go Deeper On More Ways To Support Your Workforce: Why Food Businesses Have Adopted Inclusive Hiring

TreeHouse Foods reported a net sales decline of 2.8% and a net loss of $3.4 million during its Q3 2024 earnings this morning. CEO Steve Oakland claimed the results are due to a “tough operating environment” with softer consumer demand, which led the company to miss quarterly expectations. Here are some key takeaways:

• Net sales were $839.1 million compared to $863.3 year-over-year.
• Gross profit was $131.2 million versus $725.8 million in Q3 2023.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $102.5 million in the quarter, compared to $89.9 million in the same period last year.
• FY2024 forecast lowered net sales in the range of $3.37 to $3.4 billion, representing a decline of about 1% to 2% year-over-year.

🧇 The private label manufacturer is currently grappling with the impact of a recall due to potential listeria contamination among frozen food products including all frozen toaster waffle, Belgian waffle and pancake products produced at its manufacturing facility. 

Stay tuned for the full story later today.

There’s a new head honcho leading Mars’ Food & Nutrition division in North America. Today, the company announced the appointment of Dave Dusangh as regional president, a big promotion from his past position serving as regional general manager for Mars Food & Nutrition in Europe. 

🧁 Dusangh has held a range of positions at Mars since joining in 2011, including leading the Tasty Bite brand as General Manager. In his new role Dusangh will oversee brands including Ben's Original, Seeds Of Change and Tasty Bite.

💬 What he said: “My focus will be on strengthening our position as a leader in the category and continuing to deliver delicious, convenient, and nutritious meals to meet the evolving needs of today's consumers." - Dave Dusangh, Food & Nutrition division president, North America region

➕ Alongside Dusangh’s appointment, Mars named Hans Bakker regional general manager for Mars Food & Nutrition Europe; he previously served as VP of global transformation for Mars Food & Nutrition. 

File this one under “a big slip-up no emerging brand wants to make.” Costco is recalling nearly 80,000 lbs of Kirkland Signature butter all because of a major oversight: the labels did not state the dairy product “Contains Milk,” as required by the FDA.  

📦 The recall impacts 900 cases of Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter and 1,300 cases of Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter.

📶 Social media users have pointed out the obvious irony of the situation with one commentator on X summing up the recall by stating “Also known as ‘I Can’t Believe You Didn’t Tell Me It’s Butter.’” 

Truffle product producer Sabatino will open its first U.S. retail store in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal this week.  

🪞 The move comes as Sabatino has been working to modernize its over 100-year-old brand for a U.S. audience, including undergoing a rebrand, packaging updates and expanding its CPG portfolio with the debut of boxed mac and cheese and other truffle-infused items. 

🗣️ What they said: "Since my grandparents Sabatino and Giuseppina opened a humble shop in Umbria, Italy, in 1911, we've been on a journey to unearth treasures and share them with the world. It all began in that small Italian store, where their passion for truffles ignited a legacy. Sabatino has continued to grow because we're always hunting for new and unique ways to bring truffles to the table. Here in New York City, we are going back to our roots and are meeting truffle-lovers right where they are, just steps away from their train, making it easier than ever to bring the treasures of Italian soil into their homes and on their plates." - Federico Balestra, CEO